Books, books, good books, seeing quality entertainment of any sort, more books


Camcorder to watch self

a director, a writer

the best quality effects you can afford

Good, effect advertising

lather, rinse, repeat

Aside from some of the mandatory classics that most people utilize, "buying in" to John Bannon's more recent works has been worth every penny. Dear Mr. Fantasy, Bullets After Dark, and the Fractal Card Magic series has helped me develop some signature effects that I use almost every performance!

1. Tarbell course of Magic
2. Card College 1,2,3,4,5
3. Bobo's Modern Coin Magic
4. Expert Card Technique
5. Dai Vernon Revelations
6. Anneman: PRactical mental magic
7. Full Facts book on Cold Reading
8. Darwin Ortiz - Strong Magic
9. John Bannon - Dear mr. Fantasy
10.Richard Osterlind - Mind Mysteries Set

more books than DVD's I agree... but some great material right there

(i already had the camcorder;))

I already had the TT, ID, CuS, expanded shell, etc but then I spent some money on books, dvds and lectures. This latter was the best money investment. This information led to practice and putting some time in. I attended a Michael Ammar lecture then purchased some of his dvds, then Bannon's "Bullets After Dark, then some books by Lorayne, then Bobo, then some more practice. Still trying to figure out what my five tricks will be.

For me, this is where ll my initial, and best spent, money went towards:

Books:
Royal Road to Card Magic
Expert at the Card Table
Strong Magic
Card College
Bobo's modern Coin Magic

Videos/DVDs:
Michael Ammar's ETMCM & ETMMM (first 3 volumes, don't really care for the rest)

Tricks:
McDonald's Aces
Skinner's Ultimate 3 Card Monte

And, of course, lots and lots of card decks.

My single best "one trick pony" effect is probably my color changing knives. I always get HUGE reactions out of that.

Mine would have to be:

Books:
Magic: The Complete Course by Joshua Jay

Effects:
Scotch and Soda

Both are wonderful uses of money for the magician of any skill level.

DVD -- The Complete Cups and Balls 1 & 2 -- Ammar -- my introduction to a wide range of magic fundamentals, beyond doing one-off tricks

Card College 1&2 (haven't worked through 3,4,5 yet!); took my simple card tricks up multiple levels. Reinforced magic fundamentals in Ammar's DVDs

Neo-Magic Artistry- SH Sharpe
Strong Magic- Darwin Ortiz
Maskelyne on the Performance of Magic- Nevil Makelyne
Magic and Showmanship- Henning Nelms
Magic and Meaning- Eugene Burger
Shattering Illusions- Jami Ian Swiss
and several other magic books...

Don't ignore other magicians as sources of used magic. There is Let's Make a Deal here on The Magic Café once you have 50+ posts. There are also club auctions and the Magicians' Flea Market.

Please take a look at this

http://magicvalleymagic.com/

http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......&start=0

Please let the folks there know that they are indeed invited, it's free and we need them here. Think of it as a magicians' family reunion. We have people coming from all over the USA for this.

I hope you come. Please Do RSVP for show tickets. Seating is limited.

Thank you.

Bob

Marlos RCT. I love the book so much


Mike

Well It's been a year since I've posted on this thread. A lot has happened, and I learned something.

After losing my job (AGAIN, Grrr), THEN literally losing EVERYTHING I own in a foreclosure (I was given 24 hours to vacate), I managed to keep my T.T., Ike Dollar and Quarter expanded ['s, my Rice Silks and gimmicks (Dye Tube and Palmo Ball), and Ireland Golf Ball set.

That's it. Four trunks FULL of magic, GONE! Plus all my books. I was almost arrested for trying to go back and get a few more things.

What did I learn? Less is more. Life can take it all away in 24 hours. I'm literally homeless now, living out of a backpack. Luckily a friend is letting me stay on his couch, so no worries.

I don't know if I'm going to spend money on magic again. I'd love to reacquire all that I lost, but really...it could happen again at any time. The magic I DID keep still amazes. Isn't that the most important thing? A vanishing pencil (flip stick method), or the rubberband trick (Crazy Man's Handcuffs) cost nothing, yet FRY people.

You could spend $1000 on magic and not get as intense a reaction as Prohibition. I lost that DVD, but will remember it for the rest of my life! Putting a cap into a sealed bottle causes unbelievable reactions!

I find the simpler stuff is the best for me...your mileage may vary.

Hoping for better days...

Doug

that's an awesome book indeed

I had to think long and hard on this...

But it would be Bill Tarr's "Now you see it now you don't." It was really my turning point from "kid with a trick" to "serious amateur/semi-pro magician." And I have performed the coin and card slights I learned from that book more then any other single effect I've ever learned.



Youch. I'm *VERY* sorry to hear that, Doug.

I'm glad its helping you focus on whats meaningful... but I don't think I want that lesson that badly if I can avoid it.

Stay well, stay strong. Life goes on and yes, no one can take your knowledge from you. And as long as you have that and your health, anything is possible.

Thank you Cyber!

And yes, I totally agree. And ya know something? I know this sounds insane, but maybe I NEEDED this to happen, to show me what's REALLY important! I wouldn't wish this on ANYONE for ANY reason...but again, I can still perform! And I don't need much to do that! LOL!

Doug

I'm really sorry to hear that, Dougini but I'm glad you're being positive. Sometimes we go through some terrible things and it helps us see things in a new way.

As for the thread, its kinda hard to decide but I feel like Bobo's modern coin magic was a really great investment. Perhaps a t.t. too! You can do so much with such an inexpensive device

Thank you, Jboeskin. I agree.

Ya know...thinking about it, I did silk magic for a number of years, I really think the 4-volume Rice Encyclopedia of Silk Magic was one of my best investments...

Doug

Doug,
With an attitude like you are demonstrating, things will surely turn out well.
Stay healthy, man. And keep us posted.

Thank you ehand. I'm humbled by the outpouring of compassion by so many here.

And further, if you are just starting out in magic, be careful about spending money so quickly to begin with. There are a lot of flashy ads that promise quick, easy, and mind numbing effects.

I realize now, I got caught up in that. I had four trunks full of stuff I hardly used. Mind you, there was some GOOD stuff, that was mixed in there, but I didn't have time to go through it all. A lot of it was just useless. I can't imagine the money I spent on that stuff so many years ago.

If something you see for sale interests you, come to the Magic Café, and look under the heading, "The Good, the Bad, and the Garbage" - "Tricks & Effects", or any of those six forums under that heading. Do a search first (up top, left hand side), and if you don't find what you need to know, just post a new topic. There are many here who've been down that road and will give you pricelss advice!

I now am very careful. Penguin and Ellusionist are great companies. They have very effective advertising. I am often tempted to buy all the latest stuff. Heck, when I had money, it was like a candy store! If something interests you, Brad at Ellusionist is an honest and generous guy and will advise you. He has given me great advice. The guys at Penguin are also very knowledgeable, and can steer you in the right direction. They've also helped me countless times!

Just don't wing your money out there blindly. Be careful about what you want and why. If I had to do it over again. I'd buy DVD's, and a few accesories to start. Justin Miller is good to learn from. So is Charlie Justice. Joshua Jay is another. These guys are forward thinking, DEVASTATING magicians. They know how to do TODAY'S magic. If I was young again, and just beginning, I'd be learning from them.

OK, enough of my rambling. I hope that helps ya some...

Best,
Doug

Posted: Aug 6, 2010 3:22pm
May I add one more thing? Sorry if I'm hijacking this thread.

If you are a FEMALE, and are interested in doing magic, please, PLEASE join us, and ask questions, search our site and join up with other female magicians (or is it "magiciennes"?), in The Feminine Mystique forum (under Special Interests). I have just discovered that there are some really classy ladies doing everything from sleight of hand to escapes, and you will learn MUCH from them (as well as us guys).

Randi Rain, Miss Vega Bond, Chrystal, Kabanning, and Mary Mowder come to mind, as very capable performers, and, I'm SURE would love to help you out and answer questions. Alexanderia-the-Great is an escape artist and Edith is a magician for Germany.

So you see, there is a need for females in this craft, and we have FAR too few, in my opinion. Please, give us a chance to help!

Sincerely,

Doug

Before I get to the answer to this post, Dougini, PM me.

So, to answer the question of the OP:

Books (including e-books) are the BEST purchases I have EVER made and ever WILL make.

That being said, for ME the best of the best would be:

APOCALYPSE: These are my "go to" books, literally. I have owned the L&L bound volumes since their publication in the early 2000's. It is IMPOSSIBLE to mine all the platinum is these pages.

THE TARBELL COURSE IN MAGIC: Do I REALLY have to explain why?

MODERN COIN MAGIC: Same with THIS one.

GREATER MAGIC: Ditto.

As far as non-books, I would have to say GOOD utility stuff from Johnson, Morrisey, RNT, Viking, etc.

The most ECONOMICAL purchases are the journal compilations that would be unfeasible as a print. While I PREFER print resources, if a journal is only available at an affordable price in a complete digitally, then I am in:)

So...

The Sphinx, The Wizard, The Magic Wand, The Bat, Val Andrews' Magic Magazine, The TOPS, The New TOPS, The Gen, are among the most economically sound investments I have made. A complete print run of The Sphinx - if you can actually FIND one - will cost upwards of 5,000 USD. Thanks to the hard work of Chris Wasshuber, I have the complete run of The Sphinx for 500 USD. It is worth EVERY penny.

Ahimsa,
Vlad